Radiology/Imaging

Imaging studies at Community Medical Center are performed Monday -Friday beginning at 7 a.m. All images are interpreted by board certified radiologists from Advanced Medical Imaging (AMI) in Lincoln, NE. A radiologist visits CMC once a week for in-house procedures.
All imaging services can be scheduled by calling 402-245-6556

Imaging Services:

Fluoroscopy

Fluoroscopy uses a continuous beam of x-rays to evaluate structures and movement within the body, such as blood moving through a blood vessel, or food moving through the digestive tract. It can also be used to help a radiologist locate a foreign body, or realign a broken bone. Contrast material that shows up on x-rays can be injected or swallowed to help outline vessels or organs. It is very important that women inform their practitioner if they may be pregnant.

Some exams that are included in this category would be: myelogram, arthrogram, hysterosalpingogram, voiding cystogram, barium enema, upper GI, small bowel series, esophogram.
Currently, these exams are scheduled when the radiologist is here weekly, by calling the Imaging department at 402-245-6556.

CT Scan

Computed Tomography, also known as CAT Scan, uses a limited beam of x-ray to obtain image data. This data is then interpreted by a computer to show cross sectional images of the body tissues and organs. Dense tissues, such as bones, appear white in the pictures. Less dense tissues, such as brain tissue or muscles, appear shades of gray and air filled spaces, such as the bowel or lungs, appear black on a CT Scan.

Many CT Scans involve a prep of some sort, which will have been given to the patient by the practitioner’s office or the Imaging Department. Contrast media is commonly used in CT to opacify the GI tract and is usually taken orally and hour or two before the scan. Another contrast media that contains iodine is injected intravenously during the scan. This makes the blood vessels and other structures more visible on the scan. IV contrast is often used to obtain images of the chest abdomen and pelvis and oral contrast is given for abdominal and/or pelvic CT Scans.

During the exam, the patient moves through the large opening of the scanner, the table moves up and slowly through and the tube inside it rotates, gathering the images, or data. This is then sent to the computer for interpretation. The exam itself is very quick.

Bone densitometry, or Dexa Scan is a widely used technique for measuring bone mineral density and diagnosing the presence of osteoporosis, a condition that affects women after menopause. Dexa is a quick and painless procedure for measuring bone loss. Measurements of the spine, hips and forearms are most often done.

Osteoporosis is a gradual loss of calcium that causes bone to become thinner, more likely to break. This test can assess your risk for developing fractures. If your bone density is low, you can develop a plan to prevent fractures.

A PET Scan uses a camera along with radioactive injections to obtain images of the body’s functions to reveal information about certain disease processes. The scanner records certain signals and tracer emits and it travels through the body and the computer interpret those signals into actual images.

CMC contracts with Shared Medical Services to provide our patients with a PET Scan
service on an as needed basis. Patients are contacted by someone from Shared Medical Services after the exam has been scheduled with the exam time, prep and instructions. However, the exam is initially scheduled by calling the Imaging department at 402-245-6556.

Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear Medicine uses radioactive tracers to show functions within the body. These are most often given by injection but may also be swallowed. The camera used in nuclear medicine then
detects the gamma rays emitted from the patient to form an image on the computer screen. The total amount of radiation emitted is comparable to that of a chest x-ray. As with any study in radiology, the patient should inform the technologist if there is any chance of pregnancy, or if the patient is breast
feeding.

CMC contracts with Nebraska Heart Institute (NHI) out of Lincoln, NE to provide our patients
with Nuclear Medicine testing. These exams are currently done every Tuesday and may be scheduled by calling the Imaging department 402-245-6556.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound imaging, also called sonography is a method of obtaining images for inside the body by using high frequency sound waves. No radiation is used. Ultrasound is a useful way to
examine many of the body’s internal organs such as the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, ovaries, thyroid, and of course the anatomy of a fetus as it develops.

The preps for an ultrasound may vary and will be given to the patient by the ordering practitioner’s office or the Imaging dept. Most often for abdominal scans, the patient with have to be NPO (nothing to eat or drink) for at least 6 hours and for pelvic scans will need a full bladder.

Dopplers are an ultrasound that examines blood flow and helps to determine blockages of blood flow. These exams are done by CMC technologists and techs provided by Nebraska Heart Institute (NHI) and the results are sent to the patient’s practitioner within a few days.

These exams may be scheduled by calling the Imaging department 402-245-6556.

MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses radiowaves and a strong magnetic field rather than x-rays to produce detailed images of body tissues and organs. The magnetic field ‘excites’ rather than ‘relaxes’ protons in the body, emitting radio signals. Those signals are processed by a computer to form an image.

MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography) is also performed at CMC. This exam provides detailed images of blood vessels with or without the use of contrast. The contrast is different than that used for CT Scans. The risk of an allergic reaction or kidney damage is very low. The amount given is based on the patient’s weight. Contrast may also be used for other MRI exams as requested (some neurologic studies always require contrast).

Due to the strength of the magnet, all MRI patients are required to fill out a safety questionnaire prior to their exam. Clothing should be free of all metal, jewelry, piercings, removable dental work, hairpins, etc. will be removed.

The entire scan takes 45-60 minutes and results are sent to the ordering practitioner within 48 hours of the exam.

MRls may be scheduled by calling the Imaging department 402-245-6556.

Mammography

A mammogram is an image of the breast, done to detect breast cancer, most often in women over the age of 40. Your practitioner can advise you in your need for a mammogram, or when to start your screening exam.

Community Medical Center has a state of the art digital mammography system and a technologist with over twenty years of mammography experience. Call the Imaging department to schedule your mammogram 402-245-6556.